Centrifugal machine.



No. 778,458 PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904. J. G: MORRISON.

OENTRIPUGAL MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED DBO. 7, 1903.

4 SHEETS-15231 1.

No. 778,458. PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904. J. 0. MORRISON.

GENTRIPUGAL MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG-7,1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 778,468. PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904. J. O. MORRISON.

GENTRIFUGAL MACHINE.

AYPLIOATION FILED DBO. 7, 1903.

No. 778,458. PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904.

J. U. MORRISON.

GENTRIFUGAL MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 7, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 UNITED STATES Fatented December 27, 1904:,

PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN CAMPBELL MORRISON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATESPEAT FUEL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

OENTRIFUGAL MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,458, dated December27, 1904;

Application filed December '7, 1903. Serial No. 184,002

To all Ill/MUM it 7114/.7 concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN CAMPBELL MoR- RISON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at the city of Chicago, Cook county, and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCentrifugal Moisture- Expelling Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to centrifugal machines, and has for itsprincipal object to provide for rapid automatic ejection of the materialoperated upon after the excess of liquid has been removed therefrom.

Another object of my invention is to enable the material to beautomatically fed intermittently or in continuous separate charges com"mensurate with the most efficient and rapid working of themoisture-expelling instrumentalities.

A third important object of the invention is to so associate and combinethe feed and discharge of material that while the discharge of then1oisture-relieved portion of each charge is taking place the feed ofmoisture-laden material automatically ceases, only to be renewed and afresh charge supplied when the previous charge has been disposed of.

Other advantages and useful results are derived from a novel andeconomical construction and arrangement of parts, as will be apparentfrom the detailed description, it being premised that my invention ismoreparticularly applicable to the removal of the surplus liquids orinherent moisture from such materials as crude peat, intended for theproduction of fuel briquets, horse-bedding, hoofstufling, and othermanufactured or recovered products of this absorbent and fibrousmaterial or such other materials as beet-pulp in the manufacture ofsugar and like substances of a hygrometric and highly-absorbentcharacter which require treatment for the removal of the preponderanceof liquids to fit them for final and complete drying by the applicationof heat or for subjection to other processes.

To these ends my centrifugal moisture-expelling machine embodies arevoluble cylindrical basket of novel construction as regards its wallsand connections, an automaticallymovable gate at the bottom of thebasket, an automatic and regulable feed device, connections between themovable bottom gate and the feed whereby a joint intermittent action issecured, and devices for automatically cleaning the inner walls of theapparatus.

Other novel features of construction and combinations of parts areincluded in my invention, all of which will now be described in apreferred and highly-efficient form, and the novel features will then beset forth in the appended claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, illustrating such preferred form and forming partof this specification, in which similar reference characters indicatecorresponding parts in the several figures.

In said drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same with parts in section. Fig. 3 is an endelevation. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional elevation. Fig. 5 is anenlarged sectional detail illustrating the construction of the basket.Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional detail of the basket-wall. Fig. 7 is aplan of part of the spider carrying the bottom edge of the basket, drawnto a reduced scale. Fig. 8 is a detail, taken at right angles to Fig. 4,illustrating the double cam which is used for raising the gatecontrolling the discharge.

A represents the outer shell of the centrifugal, preferably cylindricaland formed of sheet-steel, said shell being mounted upon a suitablestationary base B, said shell having a water-channel and any desirednumber of spouts o a for draining ofi the water therefrom as itis-eliminated from the material under treatment in the revolubleconcentricallyarranged cylindrical basket C, said drainagespoutsextending from the bottom of the shell A out through the walls of thebase B or arranged in any other suitable manner. The base B is formedhollow, preferably of castiron, and has two or more discharge-spouts 6Z) for the material after it has been subjected to centrifugal action inthe cylindrical basket, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

The wall of the basket C is of course foraminous, and lprefer to form itof an outer layer of sheet-steel 1, an intermediate layer 2 offilter-cloth, and an inner layer 3 of sheet brass, the perforations insaid outer and inner layers preferably out of alinement with each other,all as shown in the detail views, Figs. and 6, the object of thefilter-cloth 2 being to arrest and save the line humus of peat or thefine pasty portion of other materials which would otherwise escape withthe water. The wall of the basket thus formed is reinforced and bulgingout prevented by a series of surrounding metal bands 4: 1, the ends ofwhich are provided with lugs 5 5, drawn together and bolted tightly.

The upper edge of the basket C is firmly connected, as will behereinafter more particularly described, to an annular flange 6,connected by radial arms or webs 6 with a central vertical sleeve 7,which is in turn slipped over a vertical hollow fixed standard 8, so asto be rotated thereupon through the medium of a driving-pulley 9, keyedto the sleeve 7 a short distance below its upper end, which latterclosely approaches the under side of the central boss of a supportingyoke-frame 10, the legs 11 of which are extended through the walls of ahopper H and End their base upon standards 12 12, which in turn arebolted to the floor or to any suitable supporting-frame. In the lowerpart of the frame 10 there is a fixed bearing 13, the upper end of whichis cu pshaped to form one member of a roller-bearing, the other memberof same being formed by a collar 1 fixed upon the sleeve 7, each memberhaving proper wearing-rings between which lie steel rollers 15. It isthe bearing just described which supports the basket C and itsaccessories from the top, as will be clearly seen in Fig. 1.

16 represents a spider, to the outer annular rim 17 of which the loweredge of the basket G is fastened in a similar manner to that employed atthe upper edge via, by bolts, riv ets, or brazing and, as shown only inFig. 5, internal reinforcing-rings 18 may be employed within the flangesor rims 6 and 17, the same being held to the wall made up of plates 1and 3 and filter-cloth 2 by screws 19, thus allowing of the readyassemblage of these parts and permitting the easy removal of any or allof these elements and the substitution of others of different texture tosuit varying requirements in the treatment of specific materials.

The hollow fixed standard 8 is stepped in a suitable base-block 20 andextends centrally of the basket C and within the sleeve 7 to rigidconnections with the head of the yokeframe 10, as shown clearly in Figs.2 and 4c. That portion of this hollow standard 8 which is within thebasket proper has avertical slot 22, through which projects ascraping-arm 23, the heel of which is secured to a rod 21, contained andadapted to have an upward and downward movement in the hollow standard8. This scraping-arm 23 is of any suitable construction; but its pointapproaches closely to the inner surface of the basket-wall, so thatduring the vertical movement of the rod 21 it will exert a clearingaction and assist the dislodgment and discharge of the materialintermittently of the feed and contemporaneously with the discharge, aswill be further explained.

The spider 16 is illustrated in Figs. L and 7. It is formed of theannular flange 17, which sustains the lower edge of the basket C, asalready mentioned, and has a hub 16, fixed upon the hollow standard 8,and two alined radial arms 17, formed hollow and open at their undersides, preferably by setting two side Walls thereof in shape with thepoint upward, so as to avoid a horizontal plane surface at the uppersurfaces of such arms, and thus lessen the chance of any permanentlodgment of material thereon. Any suitable number of supplementaryradial arms 1'7 may be employed to give the necessary strength to thisspider 16, as shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to Fig. 4:, it will be seen thattwo sets of pivoted links 24:25 are employed to couple the spider just described to aninverted-cup-shaped hub 26, formed in one with a horizontally-disposedgate 27, normally in contact with the hub 16 and rim 17 and thus closingthe orifices in the spider 16 from below, the spider, as well as thegate coupled thereto by the links 24: 25, being adapted to have verticalas well as rotary movement upon the central hollow shaft 8. Suitablelugs are provided upon the hubs l6 and 26 for pivotal connection withthe. inner ends of the links, which latter are pivotally connected, eachset at their outer ends, so that they have a tongslike movement andaction as the gate 27 is raised and lowered in the manner to behereinafter described. The hub 26 forms one member of a central bearingfor the gate 27, a loose collar 28, annular packing-ring 29, andwearing-plates (or an tifrictional devices of any suitable nature)forming the other members of the hearing, such packing-ring 29 beingsupported between flanges of the hub 27 and collar 28 by set-screws 31,and the plates 30 being located between the flat surfaces of the members27 and 28, as shown in Fig. l.

The vertical rod 21 preferably terminates at its connection with thescraper 23, and it may extend beyond the yoke-frame 10 and at this endform a rack 21, with the teeth of which meshes a pinion 32, firmlymounted on one end of a horizontal shaft 33, (hereinafter called therack-shaft,) carried in proper bearings on the yoke-frame 10 and uponvertical extensions 12 of two of the three standards 12. The otherextremity of the rack-shaft carries a pinion 34:, which meshes with averticallysliding rack 35, supported by a bracket 36, extending from theoutermost of the standardextensions 12. This rack has pivotal connectionat its lower end with a rod 37, which extends to pivotal connection witha crank 38, fixed upon one extremity of a horizontal shaft 39,(hereinafter called the lower gearshaft,) arranged and supplemented aswill be hereinafter explained, said crank 38 also having one end of arod 40 pivoted thereto, and this latter rod is similarly coupled to acrank 41 on the outer end of arock-shaft 42, (hereinafter called therocking shaft,) horizontally disposed below the base B and journaled,preferably, upon or near the main floor in such location that it willlie in a plane approximately at right angles to the central hollowstandard 8 and just clear of same. This rock-shaft 42 has fixed upon itat or near its inner end a double-cam lever 43, (shown in Figs. 4 and8,) the two members of which are disposed one at each side of thecentral standard 8, so that the rounded ends 43 thereof will bear uponthe under side of the member 28 of the central bearing when the gate 27is in its upper position, closing the apertures in the spider 16,and sothat the curved faces of such doublecam lever 43 may come into contactwith the lower side of such central bearing during the lowering andraising movements of the gate 27, as will be clearly understood fromFigs. 4 and 8.

Attached to the under side of the gate 27 or formed in one therewith atits outer edge or rim is a scraper-arm 27 of suitable contour toetfectuall y dislodge any material which may lodge against the innerwalls of the base B and assist in its discharge through theoutlet-spouts 7) as the gate 27 descends, the revolution of the basketU, spider 16, gate 27, and their connections being continued at alltimes during the operation of the machine, as will be further explained,causing the scraper-arm 27 to traverse approximately the whole innerarea or surface on the base B.

I will now describe a preferred construction and arrangement ofmechanism in connection with the foregoing whereby the wet material isautomatically and intermittently fed through the hopper H into thebasket (I. A vertical supply hopper or spout S feeds the wet materialinto a trough T, arranged horizontally and opening into and supported bythe wall of the hopper H and containing a helical or screw conveyer V,mounted upon and rotating intermittently with a horizontal shaft 44,journaled in the yoke-frame 10 and upon two of the standards 12. Thisshaft (which -is hereinafter called the screw feedshaft) carries a loosepinion 45 and a loose gear-46, arranged side by side and to be thrownsimultaneously into action by a clutch 47, one member of which also runsloose, being mounted upon a sleeve 48 in common with said gears 45 and46, and the other clutch member slidably mounted upon said screwfeed-shaft 44 to be operated by means presently to be described. Meshingwith the gear 46 is a pinion 49, fixed upon another shaft, 50, parallelto the shaft 44 and journaled in the same standards (which shaft iscalled the operating pulleyshaft) and carries a fixed pulley 51, asshown in Fig. 1. The pinion 45 meshes with afixed gear 52 upon a shaft53 parallel to the shaft 44 and journaled below same in the samestandards, such shaft having also a fixed pinion 54 thereon,(and beinghereinafter called the connecting gear-shaft) This pinion 54 meshes witha loose gear 55, carried by the lower gear-shaft 39, which lattercarries a smaller loose gear 56, which in turn meshes With a gear57,fixed upon another shaft, 58, (called the cam-shaft, journaled in thesame two standards 12 and also carrying cams 59 and 60, as shown inFigs. 1, 2, and 3.

The cam 59 is that which acts with the clutch 47 in controlling thescrew feed and acts through the medium of a roller 59 on the end of asuitablybent lever 59", pivoted to a bracket 12, extending from one ofthe standards 12, which has connection, preferably by means of aspring-controlled pin 59", with the clutch 47.

59 is a supplementary spring-stop for as sisting in maintaining theroller 59 in contact with the cam 59, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The cam 60 is borne upon by a roller 60, having lever-and-springconnection with the movable part of a clutch 61 on the shaft 39, andbrings the loose gear 55 into operative connection with the smaller gear54, connecting gear-shaft 53, gears 52 and 45, and screw feedshaft 44 atthe proper intervals, connection also being had through this clutch 61and shaft 39 withthe cranks 38 and 41, by the rods 37 and 40 with therack 35, rack-shaft 33, and rack 21 on the vertically-movable rod 21,carrying the scraper-arm 23, and also with the rock-shaft 42, carryingthe lifting cams 43, so that the scraper 23 and gate 27 will be movedcontemporaneously.

It is believed that the above-detailed description when read in closeconnection with the drawings will render the operation of my machinesufficiently clear of comprehension to those skilled in the art; but Imay further explain that the centrifugal is first started by theapplication of power to the main driving-pulley 9. Then by theapplication of power from a suitably-situated counter-shaft (not shown)to the operating-pulley 51 the screw V delivers the first charge ofwater-laden material from the supply-chute S to the basket 0, thecontinuous revolution of which quickly throws the water out through theforaminous walls thereof by centrifugal action. The mechanical movementsbeing properly timed and apportioned, the gate 27 now falls with suchdried material as may have lodged thereupon by the turning down of theearns 43, which happens directly the clutch 47 is thrown out and theclutch 61 thrown in, so as to actuate the crank-arms 41 and 38. Thismovement of this latter operates the sliding rack 35 and through therack-shaft 33 and its accessories allows the rod 21 to fall and carrywith it the scraper-arm 23 connected thereto, and this by the continuedrevolution of the centrifugal insures that the point of the scraper willtraverse the entire inner wall of the basket C from top to bottom anddislodge and project downward and outward all material adhering to saidwall simultaneously with the dropping of the gate 27, the feedscrew Vhaving meanwhile ceased operation by the throwing out of the clutch 4:7,as explained. Now through the gearing on the cam-shaft 58, lowergear-shaft 39, connecting gear-shaft 53. screw feed-shaft M, andoperating pulley-shaft 50, cam-shaft 58, and the cams before describedand the throwing in of the clutch 61 reverse action is given to therock-shaft 42 to lift the gate 27 again to its normal position, closingthe bottom of the basket 0, and to the rack-shaft 33 to raise the rod21, and with it the scraper 23, to its normal position. (Shown in Fig.4:.) When this is accomplished, the clutch 61 is automatically thrownout and the clutch 47 thrown in, thus renewing the feed by the rotationof the screw V, and a fresh charge of wet material is delivered to thestill continuously revolving basket C, and the intermittent operationsabove described are repeated and continued so long as the pulleys 51 and9 are operated.

It will of course be remembered that the water is drained off throughthe spouts (I/ a and the moisture-relieved material propelled by theassistance of the scraper or scrapers 27 through the discharge-spouts bThus it will be seen that at no time is the basket C laden with anyundue or overheavy quantity of wet material, as is the case incentrifugals of ordinary construction, that no stoppage for the removalof the dried material is required at any stage of the operation, andthat no attention beyond seeing that the supply-chute is always suppliedwith the material to be treated is necessary, the consequence being thatthe maximum speed of the centrifugal may be maintained continuously andthat the supports and bearings thereof may be made as light as possiblein accordance with the actual work to be performed.

The automatic intermittent feed devices may be uncoupled or dispensedwith, and the wet material may be fed to the automaticallydisehargingcentrifugal described by other means or by hand-labor without lesseningthe efiectiveness of the means for automatically expelling thepreponderance of moisture from any of the materials contemplated asrequiring treatment in this way, and, further, it must be understoodthat while I have described and illustrated what I esteem to be apreferred and highly economical and effective construction andarrangement of devices for accom- WsAs plishing the results in view I donot limit myself thereto or to any of the details set forth, as the samemay be varied or modified according to different requirements andconditions without departing from the principle or sacrificing theadvantages of the invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a centrifugal, the combination with a basket open at top andnormally closed at bottom, and such basket being adapted for continuousrotation, of means for feeding separate charges of wet material throughthe open top into such basket, means for automatically discharging themoisture-relieved material through a temporarily-opened bottom of same,and instrumentalities connecting such feeding and discharging meanswhereby their action is made intermittent while the basket continues torevolve.

2. In a centrifugal moisture-expelling machine, the combination with asuitable supply chute or hopper, a casing, and proper bearings, and witha basket adapted for continuous rotation, of an intermittently-operatingfeedscrew, instrumentalities for causing said feedscr-ew to deliverseparate charges of wet material from the supply chute or hopper to thebasket, a gate normally closing the bottom of the basket, coupledthereto, adapted to revolve therewith, and also to have an intermittentvertical opening and closing movement in conjunction with the dischargeof the moisturerelieved charges of material, and instrumentalitiesconnecting said feeding and discharging devices in such manner that thefeed will cease while the discharge takes place by the opening of thegate, and be resumed when said gate is closed.

3. In a centrifugal moisture-expelling machine, the combination with asuitable supply chute or hopper, a casing, and proper bearings, and witha basket adapted for continuous rotation, of an intermittently-operatingfeedscrew, instrumentalities for causing said feedscrew to deliverseparate charges of wet material from the supply chute or hopper to thebasket, a gate normally closing the bottom of the basket, coupledthereto, adapted to revolve therewith, and also to have an intermittentveritcal opening and closing movement in conjunction with the dischargeof the moisturerelieved charges of material, instrumentalitiesconnecting said feeding and discharging devices in such manner that thefeed will cease while the discharge takes place by the opening of thegate, and be resumed when said gate is closed, a scraping deviceimpacting the inner wall of the basket and adapted to have a verticalmovement within said basket contemporaneously with the movement of thegate, and instrumentalities connecting said scraping device with saidgate.

4. In a centrifugal, the combination with a l casing and suitablebearings and supports, and

with a basket having foraminous walls, fixed upper and lower spiders,and a verticallyopening and closing bottom or gate, of a hollow centralstandard having a vertical slot, a slidable rod within said standardhaving a scraper-arm projecting from its lower part through said slotand loosely impacting the inner basket-wall, and a rack at its upperpart, a rack-shaft carrying a pinion meshing with said rack, a rockingshaft parallel with and below the rack-shaft, a cam on said rockingshaft impacting and adapted to raise the bottom gate, andinstrumentalities connecting said rocking shaft and said rack-shaft,whereby they are actuated simultaneously and the scraper-arm is causedto move with the gate.

5. In a centrifugal, the combination with a casing and suitable bearingsand supports, and with a basket having foraminous walls, fixed upper andlower spiders, and a vertically opening and closing bottom or gate, of ahollow central standard having a vertical slot, a slidable rod withinsaid standard having a scraper-arm projecting from its lower partthrough said slot and loosely impacting the inner basket-wall, and arack at its upper part, a horizontally-disposed rack-shaft carrying apinion meshing with said rack, a rocking shaft parallel with and belowthe rackshaft, a cam on the inner end of said rocking shaft impactingand adapted to raise the bottom gate, instrumentalities connecting saidrocking shaft and said rack-shaft, whereby they are actuatedsimultaneously to cause the scraper-arm to move with the gate, avertically-movable separate rack, and a pinion on the outer end of therack-shaft meshing therewith, a crank on the outer end of the rockingshaft, pivoted rods connecting said separate rack and said crank, thewhole being arranged so that the movement of the scraper-arm and thegate will be similar and simultaneous, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the centrifugal basket, having avertically-movable gate, a central standard and proper supports andbearings, of a collar loosely surrounding the shaft and aflording a baseupon which the gate may revolve, a cam impacting the lower side of saidcollar, and means whereby said cam is caused to raise said gate from itsopen to its closed position while the basket and gate continue torevolve, substantially as set forth.

7. In a centrifugal, the combination With a shell having water-outlets,a base having outlets for the moisture-relieved material, and with arotatable basket having a verticallymovable bottom gate coupled theretoso as to rotate therewith, of a scraper-arm projecting from the underside of said gate and adapted to dislodge material from the inner wallsof the base and to assist its discharge, substantially as set forth.

8. In a centrifugal, the combination with a basket adapted forcontinuous rotation and provided With a vertically-moving dischargegate,and an internal scraper-arm adapted to move similarly and simultaneouslyWith such gate, a supply chute, or hopper, and a device for feedingmaterial therefrom to the basket, a clutch for causing such feed deviceto operate intermittently, suitable levers and a cam for actuating saidclutch, a second cam in connection and moving With said first-named cam,suitable levers receiving motion from said second cam, a second clutchactuated by such levers, and suitable shafts, gearing, cranks,connecting-rods, and driving mechanism so arranged that during thecontinuous rotation of the basket separate charges of wet material maybe fed to same intermittently of the movement of the discharge-gate andscraper-arm, substantially as set forth.

9. In a centrifugal, a basket made up of fixed top and bottom openframes or spiders and a foraminous wall consisting of a plurality ofmembers lying close against each other, a plurality of externalstiflening-bands, and internal reinforcing removable rings,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof'I have signed in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

JOHN CAMPBELL MORRISON.

WVitnesses:

J. O. DENISON, MARY MALLoY.

